There's a huge buzz about the club in Bradford. I've noticed a huge shift since they started doing the cheap season tickets to the point where everyone seems to at least be a casual fan. A few of my friends who don't care about football at all have got a season ticket there and go once a month or so as it's a cheap and fun social gathering. Annoyingly, it was only after I persuaded them to come to one of our matches (versus Bradford ironically) which was their first ever football match that they thought about making it a semi-regular occurence. They looked at our match prices and then saw the cost of the Bradford season ticket and all decided to do that (as they live in Bradford so makes sense). They couldn't understand why I wouldn't just buy a season ticket there and go with them as it's cheaper and 'still football'. So now they go there and have a nice day out every month or so and I go sit on my own at Oakwell. They've all bought a shirt and scarf too midway through the season to 'look the part'. They're the typical type of lasses at a match who annoy me but it's money for the club and they persuade other people from work to go along too for the odd match with them. They've already all renewed whilst I, who am a huge fan of Barnsley, am debating whether I can afford to renew or not and my dad is definitely still not willing to fork out the 300 odd quid.

Sums it up in one sentence Jamdrop. However, there is a huge buzz about the club in Barnsley too, yet there seems to be an embarrassment to admit that. We should be jumping all over the back of last season, 2 Wembley trips and the success of competing this season. I've seen a massive surge in the number of next-generation-fans (kids) at Oakwell this season and we should be all over it like a rash.
This Mondays Brentford match for a tenner is a decent offer. My personal opinion (and it is just that, an opinion) is that I'd prefer one big-bang mega offer rather than sporadic match day offer throughout the season.

And the no-brainer for me ....... we might make the same capital selling 8k tickets as they do 20k; but I'd rather see 20k in the house than 8k come matchday.

It was a golden opportunity....the widest of open goals for the club. One that so rarely comes along. Post-playoffs - feelgood factor through the roof. A brilliant team, playing brilliant football, with a brilliant manager, to whom most folk in tarn would have happily given their worldly goods, if he'd asked. What better time, then, to be brave and offer a bonkers-cheap ST deal. But no....better to let all those 'extra' fans that made the Wembley trips have the summer to gradually forget what a thrill-ride it was and go back to their usual saturday activities.
We've got loads of friends here who don't particularly 'support' Bradford, but have got season tickets for VP for themselves and their kids because it's a cheap and exciting afternoon out. The kids are hooked and, as JamDrop says, get the shirts and the programmes and queue for autographs and just fall in love with it all, basically. Try taking a couple of young 'uns to the pictures every other week, with snap & drinks, for less.
Somebody needed to think bigger, think longer-term and be bold off the back of promotion. Clearly that person isn't at our club.

We've got loads of friends here who don't particularly 'support' Bradford, but have got season tickets for VP for themselves and their kids because it's a cheap and exciting afternoon out.

Click to expand...

That's the main difference that I'm seeing everywhere. Loads of people who wouldn't particularly call themselves a big 'supporter' as such have STs at Bradford because it's pretty much more of a risk to not to (have to find other things to do which cost more, might miss big matches, not feel in the loop when everyone else is talking about the club). Whereas here, there's people (such as myself, my dad etc.) who would proudly hold up their hand and say they are a huge Barnsley fan and yet umm and ahh about buying a ST and often end up not doing, or feel incredibly guilty if they do. That sense of guilt now I think about it, probably adds alot to the grumbling and general poor atmosphere at the ground as you feel like you need a good performance to justify the money in your mind (think about the 'I've paid my money, I'll say what I want' brigade), whereas people go to VP for a laugh and a good day out. The cost there is too small to worry about really.

It was a golden opportunity....the widest of open goals for the club. One that so rarely comes along. Post-playoffs - feelgood factor through the roof. A brilliant team, playing brilliant football, with a brilliant manager, to whom most folk in tarn would have happily given their worldly goods, if he'd asked. What better time, then, to be brave and offer a bonkers-cheap ST deal. But no....better to let all those 'extra' fans that made the Wembley trips have the summer to gradually forget what a thrill-ride it was and go back to their usual saturday activities.
We've got loads of friends here who don't particularly 'support' Bradford, but have got season tickets for VP for themselves and their kids because it's a cheap and exciting afternoon out. The kids are hooked and, as JamDrop says, get the shirts and the programmes and queue for autographs and just fall in love with it all, basically. Try taking a couple of young 'uns to the pictures every other week, with snap & drinks, for less.
Somebody needed to think bigger, think longer-term and be bold off the back of promotion. Clearly that person isn't at our club.

Click to expand...

Whilst I think you make a very valid point which could have significant rewards, the risk is if there wasn't to be the take up of say more than an extra 2-3K paying tickets. It would put a hole in the clubs finances. Maybe it could have been given a go for one year to see if it is viable as the hole could have been plugged from the transfer receipts ? The thing is I really like the idea in principle.

Whilst I think you make a very valid point which could have significant rewards, the risk is if there wasn't to be the take up of say more than an extra 2-3K paying tickets. It would put a hole in the clubs finances. Maybe it could have been given a go for one year to see if it is viable as the hole could have been plugged from the transfer receipts ? The thing is I really like the idea in principle.

Click to expand...

Oh it is a risk, yes; a calculated gamble. But it's that or scrape by, year-on-year, with no huge increase in numbers of ST holders, with an ageing attendance - some might say an unsustainable future. In a financial year where the coffers had been swelled by transfer income, from the moment the final whistle went at Wembley in May, the club should have promoting the **** out of a brave, bold ST gesture to the fans. Press, radio, TV, and as many of those huge billboards as we could stretch to (that's worked incredibly well for Bradford). If it meant committing to two years, so be it, where do I sign?

Oh it is a risk, yes; a calculated gamble. But it's that or scrape by, year-on-year, with no huge increase in numbers of ST holders, with an ageing attendance - some might say an unsustainable future. In a financial year where the coffers had been swelled by transfer income, from the moment the final whistle went at Wembley in May, the club should have promoting the **** out of a brave, bold ST gesture to the fans. Press, radio, TV, and as many of those huge billboards as we could stretch to (that's worked incredibly well for Bradford). If it meant committing to two years, so be it, where do I sign?

Click to expand...

Very compelling. Only thing I can think of is that at the time the transfer fees hadn't materialised ?

i thinks so too. Any slight financial deficit (if any) would be more than offset by legacy, atmosphere and potential increased team performance. The next generation of reds supporter is massively important and wouldve help sustain that for years to come. Chance missed.

What you would do is start off at the normal price then for every so many extra thousands we will sell people would be refunded x amount until you get to 20,000 at £149. If you end up with 11,000 at £275 then no loss of income.*

**These a VERY approximate figures to illustrate how it would work so no need to come back with "we'll go bankrupt - is that what you want/put your hand in your pocket" etc.

Hats off to Bradford for continuing down this long road of selling season tickets at cheaper prices than most, whilst in the lower leagues. There are obviously positives and negatives to this sort of strategical offer. And the subject has been done to death.

What I will remark upon is the idea further up this thread where it's suggested that on the back of the successes of last season, that would have been the ideal time to introduce such an offer at Oakwell. I disagree. If after all that success, the joys of last season, you need a huge reduction in price to tempt you to return to Oakwell for another season further up the pyramid then I'm gobsmacked. But each to their own.

Our prices for next season are some of the cheapest in the division.

The Championship clubs to release their 2017/18 prices so far (cheapest adult ticket):